Working as an electrical contractor in North Dakota, and many other states, for that matter, requires you to comply with the rules and regulations that guide your profession. And while many of these requirements seem a little bit too steep to keep up with, they are mostly for your benefit.
Think about continuing education (CE), for instance. Being required to keep learning just so you can renew your licence seems like a lot of work at first. Until you realise that it goes a long way towards keeping you successful. It’s, therefore, worth the “inconvenience”, and here’s what you should know about it.
1. The Eight-Hour CE Requirement Is Very Specific
Many electrical contractors know that they need eight hours of continuing education each year to renew their licences. But not all understand specifically how this works. Of these 8 hours, a minimum of 4 must be code-related. On top of this, the course you take must be approved by the licensing board. And since course approval is tied to the code cycle, any course you took before adoption of a new edition of the NEC will expire.
This is why it is highly recommended to take your North Dakota electrical continuing education from a top-rated and state-recognised provider like RocketCert. Still, it is a good idea to always check the board’s approved CEU course list to confirm that the provider you are taking a course from is actually recognised.
2. Your Certificate Doesn’t Necessarily Get You Credit
This may be one of the most unusual details about North Dakota CE. The state clearly mentions that it requires proof of course completion to come from the course provider. It doesn’t accept individual completion certificates. Your education provider is supposed to submit their attendance records to the Board within 15 days following the class.
This greatly changes how you handle recordkeeping. Your personal certificate is important, but you can’t forward it to the Board to make CE appear on your record. Still, it is important to safely store your certificate, registration confirmation, receipts, and other course details so you can provide them with ease if there is ever a question about your training
3. You Can Never Repeat a Class to Get More Credit
Many electrical contractors who don’t research enough are often caught off guard by this one. Duplicate training doesn’t seem like it’s much of a bad idea, as you are already familiar with the information in the course. Consequently, you may think you will save a lot of time by repeating a class. The reality, however, is that the board doesn’t award CE credit for attending the same continuing education class more than once within a code cycle when it has the same sponsor, title, and class approval number.
What this means, in simple terms, is that repeating a familiar course isn’t really a shortcut. When choosing your course, therefore, it is recommended to keep track of what you have already completed. Alternatively, you can go with a course provider that automatically changes the courses for you to avoid repetition. That’s a reliable way to save your precious time and money.
4. There’s a Smart Way to Complete Your CE Hours Even When Busy
Working as an electrical contractor means you are likely busy throughout the year. There aren’t seasons when business increases or takes a dip. Additionally, you have just one year to complete the 8 hours of CE. Still, many electrical contractors wait until their licences are about to expire. The better option would be to treat CE like preventative maintenance for your business.
On top of that, choose training that overlaps with the work your company is already doing. This way, you will feel more motivated to complete your education, as it already aligns with what you are doing. Also, try to complete CE as early as you can. The benefit of doing this is that you can keep learning and deposit CE credits for up to two licence renewal periods.
Make CE Work For You
You may have started your continuing education journey as a licensing obligation, but the reality is that approaching it strategically can boost your chances of excelling in the North Dakota electrical industry. The facts mentioned in this post should be a great help if you want to know exactly how to apply your continuing education efforts.
But if you want to put your CE journey on autopilot, the courses that rocketcert.com offers are definitely worth checking out.
